11-06-2018, 06:50 PM
Diablo is coming to Mobile – But is this what you wanted?
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/diablo-is-coming-to-mobile-but-is-this-what-you-wanted.jpg" width="820" height="418" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p> <span class="author">By Joe Robinson</span> <span class="date">05 Nov 2018</span> </p>
<div id="content-container">
<p>Do you know which article does surprisingly well for us? The one where we talk about the best games like <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/guides/diablo-android/" target="_blank"><em>Diablo</em> on iOS and Android</a>. <em>Diablo</em> is THE defining action/RPG, and a game that mobile users at least would love to see on their phone or tablet devices (I’d say ‘handheld’, but you’ve got that Switch version coming now).</p>
<p>So, it’s interesting to observe how… mixed, the reaction was to <a href="https://www.pcgamesn.com/diablo-iii/diablo-immortal" target="_blank"><em>Diablo: Immortal</em></a>. To recap, this is a new action-RPG game designed in the same vein as <em>Diablo 3</em>, and designed for mobile… it’s just not <em>Diablo III</em>, and so far, that’s the game’s biggest and only sin in the eyes of many.</p>
<p>But while there’s been a lot of fan backlash to Immortal over the weekend, but we’re now starting to see some actual gameplay and more in-depth discussions emerging. For starters, take a look at the official gameplay trailer, as well as this hour-long gameplay demo wuith commentary from YouTube user Kraxell:</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>As far as controls go, you see to have a virtual joystick on the left hand-side, with the quick-access attack powers on the right hand side. Much like <em>Diablo 3</em>, gameplay is about keeping yourself mobile (for long-range classes, at least), but also firing off those abilities as often as possible. <a href="https://toucharcade.com/2018/11/02/diablo-immortal-hands-on-this-will-not-be-good-for-my-battery/" target="_blank">TouchArcade notes</a> the controls are a lot like MOBA <em>Arena of Valor</em>, and they (along with Kraxell and a few other commentators) seem to agree that <em>Immortal</em> plays a lot like <em>Diablo III</em>.</p>
<p>Loot has always been central to the identity of <em>Diablo</em> games, and specifically, the near-totally random system of “loot fountains” that beget slaying big-groups of mobs as quickly as possible to get what you need. <a href="https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2018/11/4/18060428/diablo-immortal-loot-system-boss-reward" target="_blank">According to Polygon at least</a>, Blizzard seem to be using <em>Immortal</em> as a change to try something different. There will boss-specific loot, emulating games like <em>Warframe</em> or <em>Destiny 2</em>, but Blizzard maintain the old system will be there in some form as well.</p>
<p>It’s also probably wishful thinking you could port <em>Diablo III</em> whole-sale to mobile – changes will (and should) be made to account for the differing control scheme and player mentality. But to be honest, the basic gameplay interaction/loop of <em>Diablo 3</em> is something we’ve already seen in other successful ARPG titles, and considering the game wasn’t that graphically demanding to begin with, what will really set Immortal apart from being just <em>D3</em> on mobile is the supporting mechanics, the window dressing, and more importantly, monetisation.</p>
<p><img class="center" title="" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/diablo-is-coming-to-mobile-but-is-this-what-you-wanted.jpg" alt="diablo immortal" width="820" height="418" /></p>
<p>Speaking of which, the involvement of Chinese company NetEase may have some people concerned – China’s mobile market seems exclusively geared towards freemium business models, and what games do make it out West don’t do much to change this perception. Putting the company aside for a moment, <em>C&C Rivals</em> and <em>The Elder Scrolls: Blades</em> are also indicative of where western publishers see the value of mobile products.</p>
<p>But you might be surprised to learn that NetEase have worked closely with Blizzard and others on a number of licensed properties. They’re credited with launching <em>Hearthstone</em> in the PRC, as well as being involved in <em>Overwatch</em>, <em>Heroes of the Storm</em> and <em>Diablo III</em> itself in this territory. They took over publishing duties for <em>EVE Online</em> in the Chinese market last month, and they’ve even licensed <em>Minecraft: Pocket Edition</em> for China. In this context is makes a lot more sense to have them involved in a game like <em>Immortal</em>.</p>
<p>Ultimately there’s been no word on monetisation – but given the precedents that have been set, freemium seems likely. But where a company like EA has a terrible reputation when it comes to freemium design, Blizzard have largely kept their heads above the water – there are few horror stories of “Blizzard F2P”, so I imagine they’ll be riding that good will as much as possible as more details are revealed over monetisation.</p>
<p><img class="center" title="" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/diablo-is-coming-to-mobile-but-is-this-what-you-wanted-1.jpg" alt="Diablo Immortal 1 1180x539" width="820" height="375" /></p>
<p>So what do we know about <em>Diablo: Immortal</em> at this point?</p>
<ul>
<li>The narrative is set between the events of <em>Diablo II: Lord of Destruction</em> & the start of <em>Diablo III</em>.</li>
<li>You can choose from six classes, Barbarian, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Necromancer.</li>
<li>It’s being billed as an ‘MMO’, although we’re not entirely sure as to how far this extends.</li>
<ul>
<li>Social hubs areas are mentioned, as is the ability to group-up on the fly to tackle levels and bosses. We’re not sure what the maximum group-size is, or how else you interact with other players.</li>
</ul>
<li>Uses Directional controls via a virtual joystick and quick-access buttons. You choose a skill, aim it, and release.</li>
<li>Doesn’t seem to use ‘Mana’ or skill resources, just has cool-downs.</li>
<li>There will be both a traditional <em>Diablo</em> loot system, as well as a contemporary boss-specific loot system.</li>
<ul>
<li>There is also an auto-upgrade prompt that tells you when you have better loot to equip, and allows you to auto-equip via the prompt.</li>
</ul>
<li>It’s still very much <em>“in development”</em>, so a lot is subject to change</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Diablo: Immortal’s is due to release “when it’s done”, but you can pre-register on both iOS and Android <a href="https://diabloimmortal.com/en-gb/" target="_blank">via the official website.</a></em></p>
</p></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/diablo-is-coming-to-mobile-but-is-this-what-you-wanted.jpg" width="820" height="418" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p> <span class="author">By Joe Robinson</span> <span class="date">05 Nov 2018</span> </p>
<div id="content-container">
<p>Do you know which article does surprisingly well for us? The one where we talk about the best games like <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/guides/diablo-android/" target="_blank"><em>Diablo</em> on iOS and Android</a>. <em>Diablo</em> is THE defining action/RPG, and a game that mobile users at least would love to see on their phone or tablet devices (I’d say ‘handheld’, but you’ve got that Switch version coming now).</p>
<p>So, it’s interesting to observe how… mixed, the reaction was to <a href="https://www.pcgamesn.com/diablo-iii/diablo-immortal" target="_blank"><em>Diablo: Immortal</em></a>. To recap, this is a new action-RPG game designed in the same vein as <em>Diablo 3</em>, and designed for mobile… it’s just not <em>Diablo III</em>, and so far, that’s the game’s biggest and only sin in the eyes of many.</p>
<p>But while there’s been a lot of fan backlash to Immortal over the weekend, but we’re now starting to see some actual gameplay and more in-depth discussions emerging. For starters, take a look at the official gameplay trailer, as well as this hour-long gameplay demo wuith commentary from YouTube user Kraxell:</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>As far as controls go, you see to have a virtual joystick on the left hand-side, with the quick-access attack powers on the right hand side. Much like <em>Diablo 3</em>, gameplay is about keeping yourself mobile (for long-range classes, at least), but also firing off those abilities as often as possible. <a href="https://toucharcade.com/2018/11/02/diablo-immortal-hands-on-this-will-not-be-good-for-my-battery/" target="_blank">TouchArcade notes</a> the controls are a lot like MOBA <em>Arena of Valor</em>, and they (along with Kraxell and a few other commentators) seem to agree that <em>Immortal</em> plays a lot like <em>Diablo III</em>.</p>
<p>Loot has always been central to the identity of <em>Diablo</em> games, and specifically, the near-totally random system of “loot fountains” that beget slaying big-groups of mobs as quickly as possible to get what you need. <a href="https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2018/11/4/18060428/diablo-immortal-loot-system-boss-reward" target="_blank">According to Polygon at least</a>, Blizzard seem to be using <em>Immortal</em> as a change to try something different. There will boss-specific loot, emulating games like <em>Warframe</em> or <em>Destiny 2</em>, but Blizzard maintain the old system will be there in some form as well.</p>
<p>It’s also probably wishful thinking you could port <em>Diablo III</em> whole-sale to mobile – changes will (and should) be made to account for the differing control scheme and player mentality. But to be honest, the basic gameplay interaction/loop of <em>Diablo 3</em> is something we’ve already seen in other successful ARPG titles, and considering the game wasn’t that graphically demanding to begin with, what will really set Immortal apart from being just <em>D3</em> on mobile is the supporting mechanics, the window dressing, and more importantly, monetisation.</p>
<p><img class="center" title="" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/diablo-is-coming-to-mobile-but-is-this-what-you-wanted.jpg" alt="diablo immortal" width="820" height="418" /></p>
<p>Speaking of which, the involvement of Chinese company NetEase may have some people concerned – China’s mobile market seems exclusively geared towards freemium business models, and what games do make it out West don’t do much to change this perception. Putting the company aside for a moment, <em>C&C Rivals</em> and <em>The Elder Scrolls: Blades</em> are also indicative of where western publishers see the value of mobile products.</p>
<p>But you might be surprised to learn that NetEase have worked closely with Blizzard and others on a number of licensed properties. They’re credited with launching <em>Hearthstone</em> in the PRC, as well as being involved in <em>Overwatch</em>, <em>Heroes of the Storm</em> and <em>Diablo III</em> itself in this territory. They took over publishing duties for <em>EVE Online</em> in the Chinese market last month, and they’ve even licensed <em>Minecraft: Pocket Edition</em> for China. In this context is makes a lot more sense to have them involved in a game like <em>Immortal</em>.</p>
<p>Ultimately there’s been no word on monetisation – but given the precedents that have been set, freemium seems likely. But where a company like EA has a terrible reputation when it comes to freemium design, Blizzard have largely kept their heads above the water – there are few horror stories of “Blizzard F2P”, so I imagine they’ll be riding that good will as much as possible as more details are revealed over monetisation.</p>
<p><img class="center" title="" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/diablo-is-coming-to-mobile-but-is-this-what-you-wanted-1.jpg" alt="Diablo Immortal 1 1180x539" width="820" height="375" /></p>
<p>So what do we know about <em>Diablo: Immortal</em> at this point?</p>
<ul>
<li>The narrative is set between the events of <em>Diablo II: Lord of Destruction</em> & the start of <em>Diablo III</em>.</li>
<li>You can choose from six classes, Barbarian, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Necromancer.</li>
<li>It’s being billed as an ‘MMO’, although we’re not entirely sure as to how far this extends.</li>
<ul>
<li>Social hubs areas are mentioned, as is the ability to group-up on the fly to tackle levels and bosses. We’re not sure what the maximum group-size is, or how else you interact with other players.</li>
</ul>
<li>Uses Directional controls via a virtual joystick and quick-access buttons. You choose a skill, aim it, and release.</li>
<li>Doesn’t seem to use ‘Mana’ or skill resources, just has cool-downs.</li>
<li>There will be both a traditional <em>Diablo</em> loot system, as well as a contemporary boss-specific loot system.</li>
<ul>
<li>There is also an auto-upgrade prompt that tells you when you have better loot to equip, and allows you to auto-equip via the prompt.</li>
</ul>
<li>It’s still very much <em>“in development”</em>, so a lot is subject to change</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Diablo: Immortal’s is due to release “when it’s done”, but you can pre-register on both iOS and Android <a href="https://diabloimmortal.com/en-gb/" target="_blank">via the official website.</a></em></p>
</p></div>
</div>